


Salty and sweet

by Mokuroo



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, KH3 endgame spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-23 16:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17686979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mokuroo/pseuds/Mokuroo
Summary: "Suddenly, he felt as if the one who lost it back then was not Axel, but Saïx himself."Tired of fighting and trying to rebuild the future, two ex-coworkers meet each other after everything is over.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has spoilers for the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3, so, beware.
> 
> It doesn't have a beta yet, so I'll edit it once she is finished with the game~

“Welcome, welcome! Today our special is--!"

Xion stopped with her welcome speech as soon as she saw the customer.

Her initial plan was to just work there as a way to get enough money. With Axel ( _Lea..?_ ) helping Ansem with field work, and Roxas working together with Hayner, Pence and Olette ( _she never knew how good he was with a skateboard!_ ), she started to feel like a burden.

So, she decided to work in a ice cream shop. What would other work would be more perfect for her?

That morning, she heard that Axel had important matters to do at Ansem’s lab. Probably something to do with Naminé and how they were close to awaken her, now that Kairi was back as well.

 _If only they could do the same for Sora…_ she thought. But she soon shook her heard and decided to focus on her small, but fulfilling job.

She wasn’t so sure about the last part today, though.

Not with that customer, staring at her with eyes that she was sure that wouldn’t change even if he got stabbed in the gut.

He was wearing black clothes, just like Axel. Xion figured this was the “important matter” that her friend was talking about earlier.

“Which flavors do you have?” Saïx -- no, Isa, asked.

“We,” that wouldn’t do, she needed to look at him straight on the eye. He was still a customer and he wouldn’t attack her anymore, right? “We have a menu right by the balcony, sir.”

Isa looked at the paper she was pointing to. His expression didn’t change a bit. “I see.”

She breathed in relief as soon as he walked away from her, to get the menu. Human or not, that man was still very intimidating and, if what Axel said worked for every Nobody, he still had his memories from their days together in the Organization.

Xion stopped her memories from coming out before they could make her more sad. Pumping her fists, she was determined to finish her day and go back home to greet her two friends.

… Thinking about it, it’s been a while since she could feel happiness with the word “home”. At first, it was the castle, where the Organization resided. Now, after getting a second chance at life, she and her friends could finally fulfil their dreams of living together. It was just a small house in Twilight Town, but all the memories around it were worth it.

Either way, it was a life she wouldn’t trade for anything else. She was satisfied. Roxas had all his friends back. And, from what he would tell, Sora wasn’t completely lost, so it was only a matter of time until everyone could be in peace.

That is, mostly everyone. She could see Axel’s melancholic face sometimes, probably from what Saïx said in their last fight. He still didn’t bring back another friend. And Isa was… well.... probably woke up at Ansem’s lab, didn’t he?

Thinking about those details helped her be distracted while working, and the day was finished before she noticed it.

“Xiooon,” her boss, the old granny that was always selling ice cream, called her. “A gentleman left a message for you.”

Taking the paper, Xion could only sweat nervously at its contents.

> _Let’s meet at the Clock Tower after work._

She was afraid. Of course she was afraid. But she knew better by now how to handle surprise attacks. And Xehanort was not around anymore. She would be fine. She would be fine.

Xion thanked her boss and left, bringing with her two packages.

-*-

All things considered, it wasn’t so bad. Xion got at the Clock Tower and there he was, sitting on the same place she, Roxas and Axel would always go to eat ice cream and watch the sunset.

Kinda ironic, how she would come to this place to relax, but now she couldn’t even talk.

The feeling was, apparently, reciprocated. Isa looked at her, nodded, and was back to watching the sunset.

They spent some minutes in silence, Xion clearly being very uncomfortable and without being able to sit down with him nearby. Isa sighed, got up and looked at her eyes.

He was still trying to be used to Xion having a face. Back then, she was just a weird puppet that happened to walk and talk. He knew that Nobodies could grow Hearts with time, and he helped Even maybe out of pity for Lea. To recover a friend that was lost with the Replica project. That is, Roxas. He didn’t know, or rather, didn’t _remember_ there was someone else at that time.

Once Vexen got a body for her, Saix noticed the former puppet started to have human form, unlike his foggy memories. And then, some of them started to get into much more detail.

So, this was how Lea always saw her. Suddenly, he felt as if the one who lost it back then was not Axel, but _Saïx himself_.

Isa closed his eyes and stopped those remembrances. Right now, he needed to have a talk with her and she would freak out if he spent too much time staring. He didn’t want to take a Keyblade to his face.

He closed his eyes, bowed his head and finally said “I’m sorry.”

It took some seconds until Xion could answer. “Eh…?”

“I’m sorry for all the abuse I put you through, back when we were together in the Organization. There is no excuse for my behavior.” He raised his head, expression still neutral.

Xion noticed his eyes had a different sparkle from when they were in the organization, though. They didn’t have so much… anger? Jealousy? As before. They were more tired than anything. Looking at those eyes made her fear slowly disappear.

“Thank you,” she said. “For the apology. I waited a lot for it.”

Isa looked again at the sunset. It was getting late, he noticed. “You shouldn’t have. You were innocent on the whole ordeal. Don’t expect horrible people to get better, and move on with your life.”

She looked at the floor, hands on her chest. “Was that what you did with Axel?”

Now, there was a reaction. He looked surprised for an instant. Ack. She shouldn’t have said something so tactless. Perhaps she wasn’t so calm, after all.

Isa, however, gave a small laughter. Now it was her turn to be surprised. “I wish. Maybe if I did, things would have been better between us.”

Now, that was just sad…

“Did you two talk?”

“Yes. Right after I woke up.”

“H-how…”

“I slept a lot after I was recompleted. When I woke up, there he was. Still wearing the Organization coat for some reason.” Isa was still smiling, although it was hard to notice. “We discussed some things, and I decided to talk with you and Roxas.”

That’s right, there was still Roxas. Did he know about this? And how is he feeling, after he saw what happened in the Keyblade Graveyard?

“I still didn’t talk with him, if that’s what you are wondering. I wanted to see you first.”

Isa bowed his head again and started to leave the Tower. “That was all I wanted to say. I wish you happiness from now on.”

 

_You know, Isa. I also have a lot of things to atone for. I was a horrible friend. To Roxas, to Xion. And especially to you._

_You wouldn’t need to be like that if it wasn’t for my personality, Lea. Or, lack of it, I suppose._

_Nah. We were all horrible back then. But I don’t plan on leaving those two like before. Now that I have a heart again, I can finally say that I care about them a lot without it being weird. They are my family. And you are included too--_

_Lea, you--_

_\--So, can’t you at least try to apologize, too?_

_Is_ **_this_ ** _what you came here to ask?_

_Well, not only this, I came to see how you were doing, but…_

_You didn’t even need to ask._

_Oh..._

 

Xion looked at the man leaving, hesitated a bit, but decided on grabbing his arm.

“Wait, I-Isa!” she said. He looked at her, again with surprised eyes.

Xion took her two packages,and Isa could see a pair of sea salt ice-cream, one for each. He also saw her small hands giving him one of them. He looked at it as if she was giving him a dead duck.

She noticed his hesitation and chuckled. “Proof of friendship. I wanted to try it, too.”

“You don’t need to try it so hard. It’s not like Lea will stop talking to me if you two don’t.”

“I’m not “trying hard” or anything. I just want.. a clean state.”

She stopped and looked at the city under the sunlight.

“I’m just tired of fighting. If you came to apologize, it means you are trustworthy. I’m sure Axel agrees.”

Isa saw the little girl smiling and moving her hand, as if saying for him to take the ice cream already.

He sighed. “... Xion.” Oh no, it was awkward to say her name, wasn’t it?

“Yes?”

He pointed at the ice cream she was holding. “They are melting. Badly.”

Even with all her fear, with how nervous she was, Xion still managed to keep her calm under the pressure of the whole chat. However, apparently nothing could prepare her for losing her favorite dessert like that. Isa could hear her small screams of “oh no!” while flailing and waving her hands, as if it would somehow stop the problem.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“I’ll buy you another one.”, he finally said, ruffling her hair for a bit.

This time, she was the one who bowed her head, smiling to herself despite the accident. “Thank you!”

-*-

“So, how was it?!”

Axel and Xion were waiting anxiously for Roxas, who had left their home so he could talk to Isa. They directed their question to their friend as soon as they saw that he was finally back, and he seemed…. normal? No anger, no injuries…. Axel and Xion looked at each other, and almost sighed in relief.

However, they soon became nervous again, as soon as they saw Isa coming inside of the house too, and with a swollen cheek. Axel wasn’t even sure if he should ask.

“Wha--”

“Don’t say anything.” He said.

Xion looked confused at Roxas. The boy sighed in frustration.

“I gave him a piece of my mind.”

“With a punch on my teeth.”

“That you deserved.”

“That, I did.”

“And asked him to buy new clothes for everyone.”

Isa nodded. “I came here to get your measurements.”

Axel opened his arms in a wild gesture. “What, that’s all?!”

Roxas shrugged. “That’s all.”

Xion could only chuckle at that scene.“Being with Sora for so long made you pretty simple, Roxas.”

“Oi, what’s that, Xion!”

“Nothing, nothing…”

Another sigh. “He helped us, in a way. It’s _something._ To avoid more violence.”

Their situation was similar to their favorite flavor. Salty and sweet. Xion hoped she could experience a lot more of this sweet side from now on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to add another chapter because I had a blast of inspiration out of nowhere.
> 
> This chapter is like a sequel for the previous one, and the beginning follows a theory I saw around twitter. It was basically “Sora came back with Kairi, they got Naminé back, they all reunited in Destiny Islands because that was the day that Sora was going to disappear for abusing the power of waking.”
> 
> Many thanks to Dreizehn for being my beta! I LOVE U

After their first meeting, Xion never saw Isa around Twilight Town for more than a few minutes. She could see, sometimes, both him and Axel talking near the main plaza, with the latter grinning and teasing his friend, if Isa’s frustrated sighs were anything to go by.

However, as soon as everyone was finished with their specific jobs, the man just disappeared from the town. Once said Xion asked Axel about it, he said, “He is helping Ansem with research.” and never gave more details.

She knew there were many other details left. Sora’s circumstances, the Keyblade training that both Kairi and Axel needed to go through still, the mysterious Dream Eater found with Ventus, Naminé’s stabilization and then there was Xigbar -- or rather, Braig’s disappearance.

Roxas was the first to ask Yen Sid if he could help, but the old mage said that he should focus only on living the life he wanted for the best of his abilities - that’s what Sora told him as well.

_ “I’m sure I will be back! Don’t worry!” _

_ “How can you smile like this?! Of course, you still got some time, but soon you will...” _

_ “I’ll be back, Roxas. If not by myself, then my friends will find me again. I’m sure of it.” _

_ “Tch...” _

_ “How Yen Sid always said..? “May your Heart be your guiding Key” or something, right? Believe in those words.” _

_ “What if my heart wants to stop your stupid butt from doing everything alone?” _

_ “Haaaa, like I said, I’m not alone!!” _

_ “Then accept some help! Maybe we can find a way before you disapp-“ _

_ “It’s a price I have to pay, Roxas. You went through enough already, so I want you to relax for the time being, OK?” _

Easier said than done, though. Xion could see in his eyes how anxious he was. No wonder, he was still connected with Sora and knew that his Somebody was suffering with the result of his use of the Power of Waking. It was frustrating to just wait, but they didn’t really have much choice.

Or rather, they had. They could just take their Keyblades and start a search mission around the worlds once he was gone. However, Axel’s worried face, every time they thought about the idea, was enough to make them stop.

Xion thought,  _ that’s not enough _ . With a hand on her chest, she thought about Axel and Isa’s missing friend, about Sora, about how lonely Kairi and Riku would be without their missing third.

Things were still far from being similar to a happy ending, but they needed to have faith. They needed to get their lives stable first.

Which brings her to the present. Xion couldn’t help but wonder what kind of research Axel and Isa were doing. Once she visited Even and Ansem, both men explained to her that the former was out in a field study. And her former superior was nowhere to be seen at that moment.

“He will come around,” Even said. “It doesn’t look like it, but his guilt over what happened while he was in the Organization might be as big as ours--” he looked at Ansem, who nodded. “So, his current predicament is necessary for peace of mind.”

Xion sighed. She hoped she could make dinner for Axel and her friend tonight. It looked like they weren’t even speaking to each other a lot, not anymore.

Even noticed her worrying face and patted her head. “You are a good girl, Xion.”

With confusion on her eyes, she looked at the scientist. “What do you mean?”

“You are worried over someone who mistreated you horribly in the past.”

She hesitated.

He was right. Honestly, being worried over Saïx’s Somebody was the last thing she would ever thought about being present in her future.

She remembered about the taste of the ice-cream he gave to her, the other day.

“I don’t think he is dangerous anymore,” she said. However… “He does need to atone, though. Not only for me, but for Roxas and Axel too. I just don’t think getting away from a peaceful life will help him.” she looked at the floor. “Axel doesn’t even show up a lot anymore… what kind of research are they doing here? Is it for their missing friend?”

Even looked at Ansem, asking for help in silence. Their explanation, however, was given by Ienzo, who was holding a familiar ice-cream with one of his hands. Xion found the scene quite adorable, but kept her thoughts to herself.

“They are searching for clues, yes.” he said. “This is something that Ax-- Lea, should be explaining to you. Make sure to ask him tonight, alright, Xion?”

She nodded. It was getting late, so she left the place, thanking the scientists before her.

“This new generation,” Ansem said, still looking at the door from where Xion left. “I’m glad you are better people than us, old fools.”

His hand reached Ienzo’s head, ruffling his hair. The young apprentice blushed, but didn’t reject the gesture.

From Ansem’s desk, a package with ingredients for tea preparation could be seen. Near them, a message.

_ -For winter _

_ It can help with back pains too. _

_ -Riku and Naminé. _

-*-

Dinner’s time was lively, as always. Roxas arrived with his skateboard, sweaty, and took his time in the bath, but his two friends could see how much fun he had with his friends in Twilight Town. Xion, on the other hand, took the opportunity of a free day to make their food and was quite surprised at how good she was at making pasta.

“She is better at this than you, Roxas!” said Axel cheerfully, eating so much that Xion prepared all the water he would need later. “Where did you learn to cook so well, Xion?”

She scratched her cheek, embarrassed. “I only followed the recipe that you left for me, Axel.”

The older friend stopped his dinner for a moment. “Huh? I didn’t leave any recipes here.”

“You.. didn’t?” Now she was confused. “But what about that big, red book left in our kitchen?”

“Nope, never saw it. I mean, you two know me, I would probably burn the kitchen if I tried to cook, so I never had any interest.”

Xion looked at Roxas in hopes of him being the one that got said book. He only shook his head.

“Weird,” he said. “If it wasn’t me or Axel, then who else? I doubt it was Heyner, Pence or Olette, they were with me the entire day.”

The trio thought about the matter, silence over them. Tired of that awkward atmosphere, Axel waved his hand. “Spooky, spooky. But now I think I got an idea about who left it here.”

“You do?” Xion asked. “Who?”

“They are… shy? I think. They are not dangerous, though. So you guys don’t need to worry.”

“If you say so....”

“Anyway!” Axel clapped his hands, getting attention from his two friends. “I think it’s a good moment for me to explain my new job to you guys, right?”

“About time!” Roxas exclaimed. “So, what’s the mystery? We know it’s probably for your other friend, but…”

“Yep,” he confirmed. “There are still Heartless around the worlds, so I’m defeating them as a way to keep training with the Keyblade. And to search for clues.”

Roxas and Xion nodded.

“I finally got some support for this, though,” Axel said, with a big grin. “So, now I can finally stay in only one place and relax.”

Extending his fist towards his two friends,  Axel saw no hesitation in them to return the gesture.

He was ready to spend the rest of the day talking about his solo missions in other worlds, with Roxas eagerly preparing popcorn for it. Axel had the feeling he would get a lot of teasing, but he couldn’t be more satisfied. He didn’t bring them back to be absent, after all.

Before Roxas could return, however, Xion poked Axel on his cheeks, worry clear on her face.

“What’s up?” he asked.

The only answer he got was everything he needed. With the little girl hugging him close, she couldn’t even reach his shoulders. Axel couldn’t help but pat her head right there, whispering gentle words of “there, there” while she could only mutter “I’m glad you are back.”

-*-

Axel had already said he wasn’t the one who got the recipe book for Xion. But things started to get more weird with each day. After the first gift, she found a package with coupons for discount on ice-cream.  _ Maybe it’s the old granny _ , who is happy with our return, she thought at first. But then, they kept increasing, little by little.

In the second week, along with the coupons, she found a new dress that fit perfectly on her. It wasn’t black this time though, but it had the same purple of the seashells she loved so much.

The other gift was a new skateboard, most likely for Roxas. The third one, at the end of the month, was a package with math and biology books. She could swear she saw Roxas’ horrified face at the perspective of learning geometry.

“They keep coming, Axel.” Said an annoyed Roxas, who was trying to read the first chapters of the biology book. “Can’t you tell your friend to at least come when someone is at home? This is creepy.”

“Wha—what makes you think he is my friend?”

Both Xion and Roxas stared at the older man with deadpanned faces that could make Zexion proud. He just sighed.

“OK, OK, I’ll talk to him.”

Xion looked at the floor, then at him. “You don’t need to stop talking to him because of us, you know.”

Axel waved his hand. “I’m not really doing that. He is the one who took the support role for my field jobs, so we had a lot of time to talk already.”

“Is that so...” an idea came to her head. “Can I ask for a favor, then?”

Roxas saw her grin, and already knew what she was talking about.

-*-

“You wish to... spar?”

When Lea came, saying his friends wanted a favor to be done in their backyard, the last thing he expected was Xion, of all people, asking for a sparring lesson. Of course, she still had a lot to learn about self-defense, and she didn’t have the same strength as Roxas had or the experience of the older Nobodies... But.

“Why me?” Isa asked.

“Roxas and Axel would hold back,” she said, Keyblade in hands. “Besides, I need this.”

He was about to protest, when he saw her eyes. The feelings in those orbs were not made of hate or disgust, but Isa could see that there was something about this whole ordeal that she needed to figure out.

Well, if beating him senseless could help her, then it would be a win-win.

“I still don’t know a lot about fighting positions or defense,” she positioned herself. “Some practice will be good.”

By the time they started the match, Roxas and Axel were just observing from  a distant spot.

“Hey Roxas, can you tell me now what she is thinking?” asked an amused Axel. “Because I don’t think he will truly go all out like she wants, either.”

“Yep, she knows this,” he said, giving an ice cream to his friend. “This is... a metaphor, I think. She is searching for any traces of Saïx still left in him, so she can beat them with the Keyblade that was called a failure so many times.”

Axel took the dessert and kept his eyes on the fighting duo. “I see. Well, let’s wait for the result and—“

“That’s not good enough!”

Both Roxas and Axel almost jumped with how loud that was.

“Keep your eyes on the area as well! If you only pay attention to the adversary, you will fall into traps!”

“Y-yes!!”

“Was he  **always** like this?!” asked Roxas, who was still recovering from the scare.

“So-sometimes, yeah. When he gets fired up, which is rare,” Axel replied, still wearing an amused smirk. “I don’t know if he is holding back or not, but Xion is improving her movements, for sure.”

-*-

“OOOK, let’s end for today,” Axel clapped his hands. “No seriously, you both look as if you need to sleep for three days.”

Xion looked at her state and considered that maybe a sparring lesson while wearing a dress was not exactly her best idea. She nodded while making her Keyblade disappear.

Isa, on the other hand, seemed way worse and Axel could swear he was hurt on his leg, but wouldn’t dare to say anything. His smile said he was satisfied with the result, though.

“Not bad,” he finally said. “You still need to find a better posture, though. I don’t recommend copying my movements because you have a smaller stature. It won’t work.”

Xion nodded. “Yes, I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me for anything” he said, almost automatically.

She paused. Axel was already inside of the house, clearly giving them some space that Roxas was still hesitant on giving.

Slowly, she raised her hand. “Can I count on you to train me more?”

Isa stared at that small hand, wondering if he really deserved to shake it. Deciding on the negative, he nodded his head. “Tomorrow, at the same time?”

Disappointed, but with still some form of hope, she answered a quiet “Yes.”

The day ended with Xion looking at the back of someone that she wished to shake her hands with, maybe in a near future.

-*-

“Oi, Xion, if you keep making this face, the food will be sad too.”

Roxas felt like he heard some middle-aged dad talk just now. “Axel, that was really lame.”

“Hey hey, I must inform you that I finally made food without burning anything! This rice is like my son! And it doesn’t like to see Xion like this.”

“So, we are eating your son.”

“I regret making that joke.”

Both of them stopped their discussion over the possibility of cannibalism when they heard Xion chuckling at the scene.

“You two won’t ever change…” she said, trying to not laugh too much and choke with the rice.

“Nope,” Roxas said, satisfied with her smile. “I’ll always be the most reasonable person here and Axel will always make ill-timed jokes.”

“Hey!”

She was now back to eating normally. “Thanks, both of you.”

“You can talk with us, you know,” Roxas wouldn’t have it any other way, but if Xion wasn’t comfortable to talk about it yet.... “I can… understand. Kind of.”

Axel looked at his two friends. He also could understand, but maybe putting it in words would help.

“It’s just, so confusing.” she said. “I can’t forgive what he did to me. To us. But right now, he feels like a different person in the skin of someone I used to…”

“Hate?” Axel asked.

“I don’t know…”

“It’s alright, Xion,” Axel took the opportunity to ruffle her hair. He wouldn’t ever get tired of doing that. “You have every right to not feel alright with this situation.”

“But--”

“Aaaaand before you say  _ “But Axel, he is your friend” _ then let me tell you, you two don’t need to be friends with everyone I know.”

The atmosphere became silent, and not wanting things to be awkward between them, Roxas chuckled. “We wouldn’t have a lot to do if we wanted to be friends with everyone you know, Axel.”

“Hey! I’m a very popular guy! Ask Ven!”

“I did. He told me about the time he kicked your ass and your frisbees.”

“He what!”

Roxas needed that laughter, as did Xion. Axel certainly knew how to make them feel cheerful again, especially with his jokes. Sighing, he said “He also told me how he was friends with both of you and how the three of you had a good time. You weren’t the only one that helped him back then, apparently, and I’m tired of hating people. It doesn’t mean I  _ forgive  _ what he did , but…”

Xion smiled. Roxas truly could make things look simple sometimes.

He was right. It was simple. She didn’t want to hate anyone either.

“Axel, can you ask him to spar with me near the abandoned mansion, tomorrow?”

He just smiled. “Will do. Now, both of you, finish your dinner! Can’t kick the moon’s butt if you are not with a full stomach!”

-*-

Going to the mansion felt more like a punishment than a way to spend their free time. For both Roxas and Xion, that mansion meant memories that they hoped with their all being that they would one day forget. Maybe that was the reason why Xion wanted to spar here.

She didn’t want to only make sure that Saïx was completely gone. She wanted to be stronger than her experiences here. For Roxas’ sake, too.

Axel wondered how Naminé was. This mansion was her cage for an entire year and she only became free after Ansem didn’t see any other purpose for her besides disappearing.

This was also the place where he became a murderer. Thinking about it, Ienzo was probably a strong candidate to have his own Keyblade in the future, with how forgiving his new heart was.

Damn it, he should really ask Ansem to demolish this place.

Isa apparently was thinking the same thing, if his disgusted face towards that building was anything to go by. He didn’t hesitate to point the elephant in the room. “Why here, of all places?”

“Please.” was all that Xion said, eyes determined with a passion that Axel didn’t see for a long time.

He couldn’t accept it, not when the entire trio was clearly uncomfortable near that place. Isa looked at Lea, in an attempt to ask him a silent question of  _ Can you stop her, please? _

His friend only shook his head. Was this punishment for him, or something? A very foolish one, if it would only make them all miserable.

“Please,” Xion had to repeat herself. “I need to get over this place.”

He couldn’t accept it. But he also couldn’t deny those eyes. Not after everything he had done in his previous “life”

Sighing, Isa summoned Lunatic. He still couldn’t understand the smile that Xion had on her face when he gave up on the argument.

-*-

Everything happened so fast.

All that Axel did was leave to get some ice cream, so his friends could get something nice after their training. Roxas was left with them, watching. His heart wasn’t so heavy like before. He could see that Isa wouldn’t hurt Xion like Saïx had done so many times in the past.

Sometimes, the Heartless can be attracted by strong Hearts.

He should have thought about that possibility.

Before he knew it, they were surrounded. Twenty, thirty… there was a lot of them.  _ It’s because we are all near the mansion _ , he thought.  _ This place brings bad memories, and if we take into account how the relationship between that guy and us is still awkward… _

Xion probably thought the same, but she didn’t have the same reflexes as Roxas did and didn’t attack the heartless coming for her.

She tried her best to get ready for the impact with the little time she had, but it never came. Instead, all that she could hear was the sound of the attack hitting something -- or rather, someone else.

“I-- Isa, what are you doing?!”

It was Roxas’ voice that got her attention back. Holding her Keyblade as if she was holding a sword, Xion fought against their aggressors with everything she had, while Roxas tried to cast Curaga on the man that was barely holding himself together in the floor.

“Tch, I’m bad with magic…” he looked at the other. “Hey, don’t go fainting on me, you jerk!”

Roxas could hear a whisper. “Is sh…”

“What?”

“Is she alright?” Isa finally said.

Roxas looked over his shoulder, to the small army of heartless being quickly eradicated. His smirk was enough of a good sign. “Of course she is, don’t underestimate my friends.”

“That’s… good…”

Roxas worried face was the last thing he saw before everything became dark.

-*-

“That’s it,” said an irritated Axel. “I’m asking Ansem to destroy that place.”

The atmosphere was tense, but thankfully no one was too worried over the health condition of the man lying unconscious on their bed.

He was fine, but that didn’t make Xion feel any better.

“He protected me.” that was the first thing she said after they arrived at home.

Axel rubbed off his cheek. “Isa is very different from Saïx. I’ll give you that.”

Xion couldn’t answer. What could she even say, in that situation?

“Don’t worry, he was always a tough guy, way more than me,” Axel reassured her with a cheeky grin. “That gave me a big scare, though. It’s better if we train in less desolated areas from now on.”

“I agree,” at least Roxas sounded calm. Axel was proud to say that yes, he is indeed one of the most reasonable people here. “We can take small steps. We have enough time for it, now.”

_ Enough time _ , Xion thought. Back then, the concept of time was so weird. But now, she never felt more relieved to hear such simple words.

“Thank you, Roxas. Axel,” she nodded. “Is it alright if I stay here? Just to… check up on him, I think.”

Axel smiled and waved at her. “No problem. I’ll be in the kitchen if you guys need anything. Let’s go, Roxas.”

“Wait, why me?”

“Are you  **sure** you want me to cook something that is not rice?”

His eyes told Roxas a different story, but he was indeed afraid of eating torched pasta that night. Never again.

“OK, OK! I got your point, I’m coming!”

They left the room, gently closing the door and waving to Xion. She would be fine, she just needed some time alone.

“Now I’m mad.”

Axel looked at his smaller friend. “Wait, why? He is not going to hurt her, you saw how he--”

“I know, I know,” Wait, was he pouting? “I’m angry for another reason.”

Laughing out loud was not something uncommon for Axel, but it still made Roxas irritated. Especially with the comments of Riku being a bigger threat than Isa could ever be. Was it because of the white hair? Roxas decided he would dislike white hair for a long time.

-*-

When he was finally seeing some light, Isa was first confused, then alarmed. Where was he? Did someone capture him? What about the others?

“Xi--!” Getting up so quickly was a bad idea, but his instincts were stronger there, even with the strong headache that impeded him from calling her full name.

Pain finally gone, Isa paid attention to his surroundings. It was a simple room, with light orange walls, full of pictures of seashells, and three beds. He also spotted a skateboard near the door, one that he recognized. It was the same he gave to Roxas some time ago.

“Is this their room?”

His question was answered with a sobbing sound, coming from his left.

“You are awake.”

Confusion was the first thing Isa could feel once he looked at the girl by his side. She was sitting on a chair, clothes still stained by dirt from their training.

The training.. that’s right. “What happened? Are the others alright?”

She nodded. “They are in the kitchen.” and he sighed in relief after hearing that. But, if they were all fine, why was she crying? Of course, there weren’t many tears, but he saw her red eyes and heard her cracked voice. Maybe the Heartless hurt her, after all…

“Why did you do that?”

He paused. “Excuse me?”

She looked at his eyes. A serious expression on her features was not rare, but Isa wasn’t used to it yet. “Why did you protect me?”

“I…”

Why did he protect her, indeed? They weren’t exactly friends. Of course, he didn’t hate her anymore. He never had the right to hate her or Roxas. Was it because she was Lea’s friend and he didn’t want to upset him? No, it had some to do with that but he felt like it wasn’t everything.

He decided to go with the easy answer. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“That’s… obvious… but why?”

He sighed. Xion figured out he was just as confused as her.

“If this is some sense of atonement,” she said. “Please stop. If not for yourself, do it for Axe-- Lea’s sake.”

He waited until she finished her thoughts.

“He was very worried. He came back with ice creams for everyone, you know? Even for you. But his face was so…. he was so afraid when he saw you unconscious on the floor. Even with healing spells…he thought he was going to lose another friend again...”

Isa knew that Lea would always be worried about him. He was the fool spouting nonsense all the time. Bringing him home even after all the atrocities he did as Saïx. Of course he would still be worried. However, it didn’t make it right.

“If you think he… if you think we would feel better with you  _ dead _ , please stop!”

Isa didn’t know what to do when she started crying again. The fear of Lea or Roxas coming back and thinking he hurt her ( _ maybe he did… _ ) was there, but besides that, this wasn’t the result he wanted to see.

Without other resources, he took a small towel that was near his bed (was it used on his forehead, he wondered?) and gave it to her. She accepted, much to his relief.

They both spent the next minutes in silence. isa was the first to break it.

“It’s not like I’m trying to… die. I acted on impulse back then. And for that, I apologize. It wasn’t my intention to give the two of you such distress.”

She chuckled a bit, weakly. “Roxas was upset too.”

Xion could see a small hint of a smile coming to his face. “The three of you, then.”

Taking a deep breath, Xion closed her eyes. Once she opened them again, she gave the man sitting in front of her a smile and tried something again. She reached her hand to him. “Thank you for protecting me back then.”

The hesitation was still there. But this time, he shook her hand. Isa noticed how tiny it was. Not frail, but it was the first time he noticed her petite size. “You are welcome.”

The pasta of that night, for the first time in long years, tasted good. A little burned in some places, but good.

-*-

That night, Isa had to have a _ long and dangerous discussion _ with Roxas about how neither him or Riku were interested in his friend. At least the anger was not as dangerous like before, or so he thought.

Lea definitely felt a pair of fists coming for his head that day, though.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I had only some small wishes for KH3. One of them was the reunion of the lost trios. The other was Isa surviving. I can't believe I got all of them. All my years of suffering are over ;;
> 
> Axel's name changed to Lea when the narrative was with Isa's POV.


End file.
